68 Dead in 'Spanish Train Disaster'... Furious Citizens Chant, "Government Must Resign"

Second Major Rail Disaster This Year
Train Ordered to Resume Service Despite Stop Signal
Protesters Clash with Police Outside Transport Ministry Headquarters

A major disaster has struck Spain after two high-speed trains collided, killing at least 68 people and injuring more than 100. Public anger has intensified as evidence emerged that a control center authorized train services to resume despite a failure in the train safety system at the time of the accident. Protests demanding that Pedro Sanchez's government be held responsible took place in the capital, Madrid, where protesters clashed with police.

Rescue workers carry out rescue operations at the site of a train accident in Urda, Toledo Province, Spain, on the 28th (local time). AP-Yonhap News

According to foreign media outlets, including the Associated Press, at around 9 a.m. on Oct. 28, a high-speed train operated by state-owned rail company Renfe crashed into the back of a stationary train operated by private rail company Iryo near Urda in Toledo Province, about 120 kilometers south of the Spanish capital, Madrid. A total of more than 540 people were reportedly aboard the two trains.

According to the Castilla-La Mancha regional authorities, at least 68 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the accident. Of those injured, 58 were taken to hospitals, and 15 were reportedly in critical condition. According to the South Korean Embassy in Spain, 10 South Korean nationals were aboard the two trains, and two of them were injured and received hospital treatment. The force of the collision derailed some carriages, which rolled down a slope beside the tracks. More than 500 emergency personnel have been deployed.

The accident has been blamed on an incorrect operating instruction issued after a failure in the train safety system. Spain's Transport Minister Oscar Puente said a computer communications failure on the section where the accident occurred automatically halted train services along about 63 kilometers of track. He said that state-owned rail infrastructure manager Adif then took over traffic control manually, but authorized the Renfe train to resume service while the stop signal was still in effect.

"The train was stopped and the red signal was on, yet the control center made the decision to allow services to resume," Minister Puente said, adding that it was difficult to understand how the accident had happened. The train was also reportedly not ordered to reduce speed. Authorities are investigating whether human error occurred during traffic control.

This is notably the second major high-speed train disaster in Spain this year. In January, a high-speed train collision near Adamuz in southern Cordoba Province killed 46 people and injured more than 150. The tragedy has now been repeated after about 283 days.

Family members of victims of the train accident in Spain wait on the street on the 28th (local time). Reuters-Yonhap News Agency.

According to CNN, about 500 protesters gathered outside the Transport Ministry headquarters in Madrid that night, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sanchez and government officials. Far-right groups took part in the protest, and clashes broke out after some participants threw bottles and flares at police. Police dispersed the protesters using tear gas. The demonstrators held up photos of Prime Minister Sanchez and chanted for his resignation, criticizing government corruption and failures in rail safety management. The Independent Trade Union and Civil Servants' Union (CSIF), a Spanish public-sector union, called for Minister Puente to resign. Puente, however, said he had no intention of stepping down at this time.

The Sanchez government has also come under scrutiny over its responsibility for safety management. Spain has Europe's largest high-speed rail network, with a total length of more than 3,900 kilometers, but has faced criticism over insufficient investment in infrastructure maintenance and repairs. From 2018 to 2022, Spain invested an average of 1.5 billion euros annually in its high-speed rail network, but only 16% of that went toward maintenance and repairs, as well as infrastructure replacement and upgrades. The number of rail accidents, including train collisions and derailments, also rose from 45 in 2016 to 69 last year.

Prime Minister Sanchez visited the accident site and pledged a thorough investigation. "All of Spain is in mourning today," he said. "If there was negligence, we will make sure it is uncovered." He added that it was unacceptable for two major rail disasters to occur in one year and said the government would take the necessary safety measures to restore public confidence in the high-speed rail system. The Spanish government declared three days of national mourning starting Oct. 29. High-speed train services connecting Madrid with the southern region of Andalusia were also suspended.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.